


i'm wondering (if you'd come wandering my way)

by marcaskane (noblydonedonnanoble)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 09:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/marcaskane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The small moments that Abby and Marcus share in the three months between the events of 2x16 and 3x01.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm wondering (if you'd come wandering my way)

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my Secret Valentine gift for [akachankami](http://akachankami.tumblr.com/). She mentioned that she has a fondness for drabble series, so I couldn't resist the opportunity to challenge myself a bit. This fic is a collection of 30 100-word drabbles based on one-word prompts (taken from Table 30-B [here](http://100-prompts.livejournal.com/692.html)). I left the drabbles in the order provided by the prompts, so do note that, consequently, they are not _quite_ in chronological order. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, Cami! I had so much fun writing for you. xx

                When they’re looking through Mount Weather for supplies, it’s Abby who suggests that they bring the piano back to Arkadia, positing that it might raise morale. Unsurprisingly, Marcus is reluctant at first, but after they return that first night, she finds him by the bar, drinking quietly by himself and swaying slightly to the lively music.

                She claims the seat beside him and he stills, glancing at her with raised eyebrows. “Go ahead, say it.”

                “What?”

                “I told you so.”

                Abby looks over at the piano, then back at him. “I’m just here to listen to music with a friend.”

* * *

 

 

                One night when Marcus is on patrol, he finds Abby fussing around in Medical at 3 in the morning. “Didn’t Jackson prescribe two more days of bedrest?”

                Abby jolts, a wave of relief crossing her face when she sees it’s only him. “Yes. Please don’t tell him.”

                He spots Jasper in a corner as he scans the room. Abby follows his gaze and informs him, “He’s been drinking again.”

                “You can’t really blame him.”

                “No. I was there too, not long ago.” Her eyes are remorseful and she says, mostly to herself, “Even if it feels like a lifetime away.”

* * *

 

 

                The first search for Clarke lasts for a week. Abby is with them despite each of Marcus’s comments that, “The Chancellor should be back at camp.” When Abby decides to dismiss them, it’s because it rains for two days straight. By the time it clears up, Clarke’s trail has gone cold.

                “Go home without me,” Marcus tells her as they’re packing up camp. “I can keep looking.”

                She shakes her head. “I need you with me. Indra wanted to arrange a meeting once we returned.”

                Marcus hides a smile. Abby wants them to be a united front: he likes that.

* * *

 

 

                 Abby wakes up with her head on a very firm surface and the heavy taste of sleep in her mouth. In a moment of delirium, she nearly settles in closer to the warm, inviting mass beside her, but then she remembers: she and Marcus were planning the missions for the upcoming week when she nodded off.

                Her head’s up like a shot after that, she’s stammering through an apology even as she realizes that Marcus is just looking at her with warm eyes. She trails off.

                “Don’t apologize. You’ve got a lot on your plate, Abby. You deserve your rest.”

* * *

 

 

                Nearly a month after Mount Weather, a patrol group encounters a few Grounders. Three days later, the flu is spreading through Arkadia.

                When the first person ends up in Medical, Abby decides to vaccinate the rest of the camp. She puts a hold on her Chancellor duties to help administer shots.

                She calls for the next person in line and is mildly surprised when Marcus steps forward, looking pale and squeamish.

                “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you already _have_ the flu.”

                He scowls and rolls up his sleeve, holding out his arm. “I do this under great duress.”

* * *

 

 

                Marcus and Abby are sitting at a table in the mess hall for dinner one night when Raven appears, looking for Abby.

                “She’s on the prowl,” Marcus muses, nodding in Raven’s direction. “I bet she’s going to ask if you’re planning to set up another supply run.”

                Abby grimaces down at her plate. “I can’t figure out why she’s so impatient for that tech.”

                “You could ask,” he points out.

                “None of your business, Councilor,” Raven says as she appears beside him. “Well, Abby?”

                “I told you, wait one week.”

                She groans, exasperated, and Abby and Marcus exchange amused smiles.

* * *

 

                “I feel like an idiot.”

                Abby tries to hide her smirk as she spreads disinfectant across the large cut on Marcus’s back. “It’s not that bad.”

                “Yes it is. It’s embarrassing, Abby. I fell in the middle of lecturing one of my guards for not having sufficiently developed his Earth skills.”

                “It could have been worse.”

                “How?”

                “You could have died,” she offers.

                Marcus laughs. “You should work on your bedside manner.”

                “I have great bedside manner. It’s just different with you.”

                This comment sits in the air for a moment, then Abby starts rambling to send the thought away.

* * *

 

 

                 Abby wants to take Marcus’s opinion into account when she makes decisions, honestly. She knows that he has a good head on his shoulders, and as time goes by, it becomes increasingly clear that he’s taking to Grounder customs more easily than most of their people.

                But it’s difficult to get past her instinctual aversion to any form of a compromise. It takes Marcus pulling her aside after a Council meeting, asking, “Do you still resent me for everything I’ve done?”

                She realizes she doesn’t. Somewhere along the line, without even noticing, she had forgiven him.

                It’s easy after that.

* * *

 

 

                As far as Marcus knows, Abby doesn’t really react to Clarke’s absence until they return from their first search empty-handed. She retreats to her room but when she doesn’t come out to eat dinner hours later, Marcus follows the impulse to bring her food.

                He knocks gently. “It’s me. Thought you might want dinner.”

                Brief pause. Will she send him away?

                She opens the door and her face is splotchy, her eyes bloodshot, but her voice is firm as she thanks him.

                Marcus almost leaves without a word. But then: “Abby… This isn’t over.”

                “I know. But I worry anyway.”

* * *

 

 

                A hush falls around the Council table when Marcus proposes that they attempt to reestablish contact with the Grounders.

                “Are you sure that’s the best idea?” Sinclair asks.

                “Lincoln thinks it’s feasible. He suspects that Lexa won’t want to oppose us anymore.”

                “That a far cry from wanting to befriend us, Marcus,” Abby points out. “Do you have anyone in mind who might be sympathetic toward us?”

                He answers immediately. “Indra. She was the one who freed Lincoln.”

                She considers Marcus’s suggestion thoughtfully. “That’s a possibility. Alright, you can try.”

                “Oh.” He tries to conceal his surprise. “Okay. Thank you.”

* * *

 

 

                Now that they’re settled in without Grounders to worry about, Abby finds that one of her biggest concerns as the Chancellor is to work with the rest of the Council to design a new charter.

                Abby arrives to a meeting early to find Marcus already there, poring over his notes. He looks at her only briefly before redirecting his gaze downward.

                “Maybe we’re not the best people for this job,” he says softly as she comes to join him. “Deciding the morals of a society after all we’ve done.”

                “We did what we had to.”

                He finds he’s not comforted.

* * *

 

 

                “Have you ever thought about asking Octavia to spar with you?”

                Abby looks at Marcus as though he’s grown another head. “What for?”

                “To get better at hand-to-hand combat,” he says. Like it should be obvious.

                “What for?”

                “I’d just feel better about you leaving Arkadia if I knew you could really engage in a fight if need be.”

                “Are you saying I can’t hold my own in a fight?” Abby asks, trying to sound teasing. But her irritation peeks through.

                “No, no, I don’t mean to… I worry about you, Abby.”

                She hesitates. “I’ll talk to her about it.”

* * *

 

 

                Jackson insists that Abby not leave camp for a few days once she’s healed after Mount Weather. But she’s itching to get away. He relents, under the condition that she go with someone from the guard. _Her_ condition? That it be Marcus.

                “Why me?” he asks her.

                For a moment, it seems as though Abby is going to ignore the question. But after a pause she says, her voice low, “Everyone’s walking on eggshells around me these days. You’re the only one that doesn’t make me feel like I’m broken.”

                Marcus nods. “That’s because I know how strong you are.”

* * *

 

                In recent memory, things have never been quite so calm. This is not to say that they have nothing to worry about – the Ice Nation seems constantly posed for war, and Abby is still determined to find Clarke – but it feels almost easy.

                Consequently, Abby finds herself sharing more quiet, contemplative moments with Marcus. And in doing so, she becomes distinctly aware of awkward silences that stretch between them.

                Then, although she’s not quite sure when it happens, it’s not awkward anymore. She finds herself looking forward to it. Their comfortable silence brings with it a new sort of calm.

* * *

 

 

                Bellamy was looking forward to the graveyard shift until he found out that it was with Marcus. Now he’s anxious for 6am to arrive so that he can get away from Marcus and his appraising gaze.

                At 3am, Marcus breaches the subject he’s clearly been sitting on all night. “Abby says you’re not sleeping well.”

                “Should my doctor really be sharing that information?”

                Marcus clears his throat, and his voice is lower when he speaks again. “I’m glad she did. We’re worried about you. You shouldn’t be volunteering for more patrols when you’re not sleeping.”

                “I’m fine.”

                Marcus remains unconvinced.

* * *

 

                “—and she even agreed to teach me Trigedasleng. Well, she said she’ll try.”

                Abby smiles up at Marcus. This news is good enough that she isn’t even bothered that he showed up at her quarters to deliver it. “That’s wonderful, Marcus. Indra will be a valuable ally.”

                “And I only had to beg and plead a little bit,” he jokes, pacing for a few moments longer before hesitantly joining Abby on the sofa. “I think Clarke would be proud of what we’re doing.”

                At a loss for words, Abby just thanks Marcus by briefly placing her hand over his.

* * *

 

                 Marcus sends Miller out with another search team for Clarke without telling Abby. He would have gotten away with it, too, if one of the junior guards hadn’t given him away.

                She startles him when she bursts into his office. “Call them back.”

                “What? Why?”

                “Because I said so. Tell Miller to come home.”

                “Christ, okay, I will.” Marcus stands. “I apologize for caring about whether your daughter is safe.”

                The menace leaves Abby’s face all at once. “No, it’s not… I’m just tired of hoping that they’ll find her, Marcus.”

                Marcus blinks down at her. “I’ll go radio Miller.”

* * *

 

                Marcus can’t really remember what it was like to confidently believe the things that his mother taught him, but he still makes an effort to sneak away from Arkadia often so that he can visit the Eden tree. Whether it’s to reaffirm his complicated relationship with his religion, or with his mother, he’s uncertain, so he contemplates them both for good measure.

                Abby doesn’t ask him where he goes, and Marcus wonders whether it’s because she somehow already knows.

                He doesn’t pray often, but when he does, he stoops over the Eden tree and thanks God for Abby’s implicit understanding.

* * *

 

                “You’ve already apologized a million times, Marcus.” Abby can’t bear to look at him. She wasn’t embarrassed that he came to her quarters and found her changing, but the way that he reacted to the scars on her back was enough to prompt a heavy blush. “I’ve forgiven you. You don’t need to hold yourself accountable anymore.”

                He hesitates. “I can’t help it. I know you don’t hate me for what I’ve done, but it’s hard not to hate myself.”

                Abby nods carefully. “I won’t tell you not to hate yourself. But your intentions were good, Marcus. That’s what matters.”

* * *

 

                One of their newly acquired automobiles backfires while Abby and Marcus are standing directly beside it and in a flash of panic, Marcus’s first reaction is to jump out to shield her.

                She doesn’t let him forget it, teasing him numerous times over the course of the day for immediately assuming that they were being fired upon. This, despite the fact that none of their potential enemies possess anything more substantial than arrows and spears.

                Little does he know she’s teasing him because it’s easier than acknowledging that his first instinct upon hearing a gun was to defend her first.

* * *

 

                 Somewhere along the line, they start acknowledging their past again. Marcus starts it one afternoon by casually mentioning that he thinks Jake would’ve liked a book that Marcus got from a Mount Weather supply runs. If Abby is surprised, she hides it well.

                Their conversations become increasingly open after that. It was one thing when they were admitting to their current stressors, but now they start to revisit stories from decades ago. They start to laugh together again.

                How strange it is, Abby muses, to rebuild a level of comfort with Marcus that she had never expected to have again.

* * *

 

                Abby, Marcus, and another member of the guard are nearly caught by surprise in the woods on day. As it is, they only just barely manage to conceal themselves in the underbrush before a few members of the Ice Nation come into their line of sight.

                It’s very clear that the Grounders have no idea of their presence, but Abby is nervous anyway – this is the first time she’s seen anyone from Ice Nation in person – and in a rush of need for some tactile reassurance, she grabs Marcus’s hand and doesn’t let go until the Grounders are long gone.

* * *

 

                “Indra wants us to make a journey to Polis soon. She says that she’s made Lexa aware that she’s befriended us and Lexa is reconsidering the possibility that we become allies.”

                Abby looks to Lincoln curiously. “Do you think that’s something worth hoping for? Not that I don’t trust Indra,” she adds, reaching out and touching Marcus’s shoulder absent-mindedly as reassurance. “I just worry that her judgment might be clouded. Would the Commander ally herself with someone she’d betrayed?”

                “If it benefits her enough, then yes.” Lincoln raises his eyebrows. “If she’s considering it, it’ll be interesting to see why.”

* * *

 

                Marcus wishes he could say that he’s coping well as he and Abby sit up into the early hours of the morning trying to settle on precisely who they’re sending to which sectors to continue their mapping of the surrounding areas. As it is, though, he’s been up for nearly 36 hours straight, and his irritation is evident in his scowl.

                Then Abby leans in close, peering closely at his face. He blinks at her, unsure of what to do.

                She plucks an eyelash from his cheek and returns her attention to their lists.

                Marcus can’t help smiling after that.

* * *

 

                “I’m pretty sure no other member of the guard has come home injured as many times as Bellamy,” Abby tells Marcus one evening when he comes in to visit her at Medical.

                “He’s a brave kid,” Marcus tells her with a shrug. “He does stuff plenty that my more experienced men would balk at.”

                “Don’t you worry that he thinks of himself too much like a hero?”

                Marcus’s brow furrows. “That’s not it at all. He doesn’t see himself as a hero at all. That’s the problem. He’s trying to prove himself.”

                Abby smirks and says, “Reminds me of someone.”

* * *

 

                Marcus tightens his grip on the cold metal of the pull-up bar in the training room, trying not to let his clammy hands ruin his set.

                It’s been over two months since he and Abby bickered anywhere near as viciously as they just did. Not that he doesn’t expect to fight sometimes, but they’ve been on the same wavelength lately and it puts a bad taste in his mouth to know that they disagree.

                He nearly slips when he sees her standing in the doorway.

                “No rush, but when you’re done, let’s hash this out.”

                He sighs. What a relief.

* * *

 

                Abby is struck by how introspective Marcus seems to be as of late, and she can’t help but also consider how much of a difference even two and a half months have made in his character, let alone all of their experiences since sending the kids to the ground.

                She’s filled with so much affection for the man that Marcus has become. She’s impressed by his growth and by the ways he’s helped her to grow, too.

                She thinks of all of this, but she pointedly ignores the way her stomach twists each time he sends a smile her way.

* * *

 

                They rarely pick up clothes from Mount Weather, but on one of the rare occasions that they do, Marcus brings one of the boxes to Abby’s quarters so that she can claim anything if she likes it.

                “This doesn’t seem very fair,” she muses.

                “Perks of being Chancellor,” Marcus teases. Perks of being liked by Marcus Kane, more like, but neither of them says this. “Hey, what about that one?”

                He’s gesturing to a sweater with a choppy zig-zag pattern that closely resembles a shirt she owned when they were young. She mentions this.

                “I remember. I always liked it.”

* * *

 

                Occasionally, Arkadia will have a bonfire, generally justified by some mundane and overall irrelevant discovery. Abby finds herself enjoying herself at these events more and more, a fact which certainly has nothing to do with the low conversations shared with Marcus in front of the fire.

                On one such night, the two of them are settled in front of the fire, as is their wont. Abby is watching every spark from the fire to see how close it can drift to her before it flickers out.

                “Your hair looks pretty.”

                She jolts. “What?”

                “I said the fire looks pretty.”

                “Oh.” 

* * *

 

                Indra hates that she notices the way that Marcus and Abby’s features shift every time they glance toward one another. It’s a far cry from the way they looked at each other in the weeks that Indra had observed them before Lexa’s betrayal.

                She wouldn’t be surprised if neither of them has noticed yet, because they’d probably feel more self-conscious if they had, but as it is, they look so open, so affectionate.

                Although she doesn’t want to care, although it’s probably in her people’s best interest if they never acknowledge it…

                Something about it still brings out her romantic side.


End file.
